How internal comms helped nurses go on strike
Case Study
In 2022, nursing staff across the UK went on strike for the first time ever.
But nursing staff weren't the only ones who were new to strike action: Royal College of Nursing (RCN) staff were too. The RCN’s internal communications team were tasked with helping staff understand the legal parameters of strike action, convincing them to head from the comfort of their homes into the chaos of nursing workplaces in the wake of COVID-19, and then support them through the conversations they were to have with RCN members.
Because if nursing staff were going to vote for strike action, they needed to be willing to leave their patients to take it.
This session will explore how the internal communications team helped mobilise almost the entire workforce of the Royal College of Nursing with no extra budget, no extra people and no prior knowledge of industrial action.
Three takeaways from the session:
- The right channel at the right time
- The power of purpose
- Knowing your audience makes all the difference
Aimed at the following practitioner levels:
- Head of
- Manager
- Junior
Speakers
Laura Wager
Laura Wager
Laura has worked at the Royal College of Nursing for 17 years, starting as an administrator and working her way up the ranks to lead the internal communications team.
During that time, she has had three career breaks; the first to travel the world and the others to welcome her two daughters into it. She now works almost full-time, compressed hours in a pattern that many organisations would be forgiven for refusing.
Once described as having ‘an incredible capacity for work’ Laura is delighted to have a few hours off to learn from fellow internal communicators at the IoIC Festival 2024.